Hamilton refuses to pay hackers 'huge' ransom in wake of cyberattack
The City of Hamilton has refused to pay a ransom to hackers who launched a cyberattack against the city nearly three weeks ago.
The ransomware attack took place on Feb. 25 and has plagued city services, including but not limited to, telephone lines, transit schedules, tax services, and Ontario Works and Special Supports.
"The demand was a whole hell of a lot of money," Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said in a news conference on Friday. The mayor could not say how much the hackers wanted, but added, "It was a huge ask."
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
At this point in time, Horwath said the city does not believe that anyone’s personal information has been compromised.
City Manager Marnie Cluckie added that the city can’t access the data, since it’s encrypted, but that they have a backup in place.
“All evidence at this point and based on what our cyber experts are telling us is that while it's encrypted it hasn't been removed from the organization, it hasn't been taken and therefore it hasn’t been compromised,” Cluckie said.
When it comes to getting services back online, she said fire and paramedic services, along with anything safety-related, are priorities. Meanwhile, the city is still working to contain the breach and rebuild its IT system.
“It’s not over yet,” Horwath said, noting the long path to restoration still ahead. “Those bad guys are still out there.”
"They (hackers) are miles ahead of most organizations because this is what they do day in and day out.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liam Payne, former One Direction member, dies at 31 in Argentina hotel fall
Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, 31, was found dead after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, local officials said.
Harris' interview with Fox News is marked by testy exchanges over immigration and more
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris engaged in a combative first interview with Fox News on Wednesday, sparring on immigration policy and shifting policy positions while asserting that if elected, she would not represent a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency.
W5 INVESTIGATES Ontario woman alleges sexual assault by junior hockey players; details what happened when she called police
The Ontario Provincial Police has acknowledged that one of its employees did not follow the organization's policy when an alleged victim of sexual assault called a local detachment earlier this year to report an incident involving eight former junior hockey players.
Investigators name person of interest in disappearance of Vancouver Island woman
Mounties have released startling new details about their investigation into the disappearance of Amber Manthorne, who was reported missing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago, and is believed to have met with foul play.
JD Vance says 'no,' Trump did not lose the 2020 U.S. election
U.S. vice-presidential candidate JD Vance said "no," former U.S. president Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election "by the words" the Ohio Republican would use, when asked Wednesday what message it sends to independent voters that he has not directly answered that question.
'Vindictive and malicious': B.C. court weighs in on long-running neighbour dispute
A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks – awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.
'The risk is real': Book on Manitoba mushrooms suspected to be written by AI
A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.
Group of Liberal MPs plan to verbally ask Trudeau to step down next week
Liberal MPs who have spent the last 10 days organizing to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside from the leadership of the Liberal party plan to plead their case directly to him at next Wednesday's caucus.
Canada Revenue Agency fires 330 employees over CERB claims during pandemic
The Canada Revenue Agency says it has terminated 330 employees for inappropriately receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit during the pandemic, giving its final update on an internal review.